Mayor Joe Fontana's decision to pack it in promises fireworks ? not just in the fall election, but over who fills his seat until then

A political free-for-all is erupting at London city hall, with councillors jockeying to become the interim mayor to replace criminally-convicted Joe Fontana.

As Fontana announced his resignation Monday, he indicated he’s taking steps to “ensure a smooth transition for whomever takes the interim mayor’s position” once he formally quits later this week.

Smooth?

There’s no guarantee of that.

Under Ontario law, city council can appoint a replacement — either one of the 14 sitting councillors, or an outsider — to fill the spot until the term ends..

And as of now, it looks like a sitting councillor will be chosen.

But a council majority — eight votes — must agree on the pick.

And that’s where it gets interesting.

Politicians expect to make the decision early next week, when council sits down at city hall for a meeting that will likely be helmed by Joe Swan, who under city hall rules, is next in the council rotation to serve as acting mayor.

So presumably at that meeting, councillors will debate who should fill the seat for the next four months — and considering the divided nature of council, it may not be an easy decision.

The strongest voices on either side of council’s political divide, Bud Polhill and Joni Baechler, agree a sitting councillor should be chosen. But the consensus ends there.

Both are willing to become interim mayor until the Oct. 27 vote. But they won’t be the only ones.

Another complication? Baechler — who’s leaving council after this term — doesn’t want anyone who’s running for mayor this fall, or even thinking of it, to fill the office in the interim. That would rule out Matt Brown, Swan and Polhill.

Serving as interim mayor would give them “added profile” and give their campaigns an unfair edge, Baechler believes.

Some, though, will disagree. One politician, who did not want to be named, said the person who becomes interim mayor “might (screw) it up so bad, that he’ll never get elected.”

So, simply put:

Fontana formally resigns with a press conference Thursday.

Swan becomes acting mayor for five days or so.

Politicians meet next week at a meeting Swan will helm where they’re likely to pick an interim mayor to carry the ball until term’s end.

Jockeying is underway and lobbying by some politicians of their colleagues has likely started. An eight-vote majority is needed and it’s unclear who could secure that much support.

There will be a groundswell of public support for Baechler — but she’s got a few hard-bitten council rivals who don’t want that.

A political bomb just dropped on 300 Dufferin Ave. and the landscape may look very different once the shrapnel stops flying.

Whomever council chooses as interim mayor, they better make the decision fast, one former longtime politician warns.

“If they spend more than half an hour on this, they’re taking too long,” said Cheryl Miller, who ran Fontana’s successful 2010 mayoral campaign but severed ties after his 2012 arrest on the fraud-related charges for which he was convicted.

“This council has an opportunity to show it has some gumption, some backbone and a willingness to work together,” said Miller. “This is their time.”

Joe Fontana has given city hall officials notice he plans to resign. He’s expected to do so Thursday. Until then, he technically remains mayor.

The acting mayor:

Under city procedure, it’s Joe Swan’s turn to fill in as acting mayor once Fontana resigns. He’ll hold the job for about five days, and run the meeting at which a rest-of-term replacement is picked.

The interim mayor:

A majority of the 14-member council (eight votes) must agree on who to appoint mayor until the term’s end. It’s expected a sitting councillor will be picked, and the decision is likely early next week.

The next mayor:

Coun. Matt Brown is five months into his campaign to be elected mayor on Oct. 27. Fontana’s re-election bid looks derailed, but likely mayoral contender Coun. Joe Swan will announce his plans by month’s end.

HOW TO PICK A NEW MAYOR:

Under Ontario law, city council can appoint a replacement until the term ends in a few months, the likely path they’ll take.

They can pick a citizen or a replacement among themselves, and the latter looks like the most likely option.

It’s possible a special council meeting will be held Monday (chaired by Joe Swan, acting mayor) where politicians will formally declare the mayor’s office vacant.

They must wait until the next day to pick the replacement, under Ontario law.

ON Tuesday June 23, at the scheduled council meeting (again chaired by Swan), a council majority (eight votes) could make a decision on a fill-in mayor.?

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